Page 32 - Canine-Diseases

is 15 worms, but that number can range from 1 to 250 worms. especially after meals, hysteria, aggression, pacing, inability to
There are four classes of heartworm disease. The higher the class, respond to basic commands, lethargy, vocalizations, drooling,
the worse the disease and the more obvious the symptoms. Class vomiting, head pressing, sudden blindness, loss of balance,
1: no symptoms or mild symptoms such as an occasional cough. collapse, seizures, and coma.
Class 2: mild to moderate symptoms such as an occasional cough
and tiredness after moderate activity. Class 3: general loss of body Hepatic failure: Is the loss of greater than 75 percent of the
condition, a persistent cough, and tiredness after mild activity. function of the liver, occurring secondary to severe, massive liver
Trouble breathing and signs of heart failure are common. Class necrosis (death). Hepatic failure is most often caused by infectious
4: also called caval syndrome, where the blood flowing back to agents or toxins, poor flow of fluids into the liver and surrounding
the heart is physically blocked by a large mass of worms. Caval tissues, hypoxia, drugs or chemicals that are hepatotoxic, and
syndrome is life-threatening. Not all dogs with heartworm disease excess exposure to heat. Necrosis sets in, with loss of liver
develop caval syndrome. However, if left untreated, heartworm enzymes and impaired liver function ultimately leading to
disease will progress and damage the dog’s heart, lungs, liver, and complete organ failure. Consumption of certain plants, herbs, or
kidneys, eventually causing death. poisonous substances, untreated heartworm, long-term use of pain
killers, diabetes, infections, and issues with pancreas can cause
Hemolytic anemia: Is a condition in which red blood cells liver disease in dogs. Vomiting, poor appetite, and weight loss
are destroyed and removed from the bloodstream before their are often the first signs of liver failure. Other symptoms of liver
normal lifespan is over. The destruction of red blood cells is failure include excessive thirst, frequent urination, disorientation,
called hemolysis. Hemolytic anemia can be classified as extrinsic drooling, gastrointestinal bleeding, lethargy, weight loss, diarrhea,
(acquired hemolytic anemia) or intrinsic (inherited hemolytic jaundice, seizures, and coma. Symptoms of acute liver failure can
anemia). Extrinsic hemolytic anemia develops by several methods, appear with any condition affecting the liver. Conditions can be
such as when the spleen traps and destroys healthy red blood cells very sudden, or chronic and slow developing.
or an autoimmune reaction occurs. Intrinsic hemolytic anemia is
caused by a defect in the red blood cells themselves and result Hepatic neoplasia: Is cancer of the liver. Primary hepatic
when one or more genes that control red blood cell production neoplasms (tumors) are less common than metastatic neoplasms
do not function properly. With these conditions, red blood cells in the liver and are either carcinomas, carcinoids, sarcomas,
are destroyed earlier than normal. Symptoms resemble those of or of hemolymphatic origin. Metastatic neoplasia of the liver
other anemias and include pallor, fatigue, dizziness, and possible can originate from multiple visceral organs and can include
hypotension. Scleral icterus and/or jaundice may occur, and the lymphosarcoma. The most common form of liver cancer in dogs
spleen may be enlarged. See Immune mediated hemolytic anemia is metastatic neoplasms. Primary hepatic neoplasms is rare,
(IMHA). comprising less than two percent of all cancer seen in dogs.
Primary hepatic neoplasms is most common in dogs > 9 years
Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE): Is a very serious condition of age. The cause of primary hepatic neoplasms may be related
affecting dogs and is characterized by sudden vomiting and bloody to environmental factors. Examples of possible carcinogens
diarrhea. Stress, anxiety, and hyperactivity are thought to be include toxins produced by fungi that are sometimes associated
possible contributing factors in many cases of HGE. In addition, with spoiled pet food, food additives, certain pesticides, dyes,
HGE can be the result of infection with or hypersensitivity to plants and animal tissue. Symptoms include vomiting, anorexia,
Clostridium perfringens. Clinical sign include large amounts abdominal distension, pale gums, weakness, increased respiratory
of bloody diarrhea (bright red - “Raspberry jam” appearance), rate, laboured breathing, weight loss, and jaundice.
vomiting, anorexia, lethargy, fever, and abdominal pain. The
symptoms are usually severe and can be fatal if not treated. It is Hepatozoonosis: Is a tick-borne disease that results in infection
most common in young adult dogs of any breed, but especially with the protozoan known as Hepatozoon canis. This organism is
small dogs such as the Yorkshire Terriers, Miniature Pinschers, transmitted by the brown dog tick, Rhipicephalus sanguineus. The
Dachshunds, Miniature Schnauzers, Miniature Poodles, and disease in North America is caused by Hepatozoon americanum,
Maltese. One of the main medical issues with HGE is the dog’s which is transmitted by the Gulf Coast tick, Amblyomma
risk of dehydration. maculatum, rather than by the brown dog tick. H. canis and H.
americanum infections occur when an infected tick, the definitive
Hepatic encephalopathy (HE): Is a clinical syndrome host, is ingested by the dog. Dogs infected with either species of
characterized by abnormal mental status, an altered state of hepatozoon protozoa will carry the organism for life, but treatment
consciousness and impaired neurologic function that occurs can reduce the number of parasites and ameliorate the symptoms.
in animals with liver disorders associated with portosystemic Hepatozoonosis may affect the bones, liver, spleen, muscles,
shunting, fulminant hepatic failure, or cirrhosis. Ammonia plays a small blood vessels in the heart muscle, and the intestinal tract.
key role in the development of hepatic encephalopathy. The liver is Symptoms of clinical infection include fever, anorexia, weight
unable to properly filter ammonia, which accumulates and affects loss, bloody diarrhea, muscle atrophy, proliferation of periosteum
the central nervous system which can lead to unusual neurological (vascular connective tissue enveloping the bones), joint pain,
function. Administration of live Lactobacillus and Bifidobacillus depression, and kidney failure.
organisms can assist in displacing ammonia-producing microbes.
Symptoms include circling or running into walls, confusion, Hiatal hernia: Also known as diaphragmatic hernias, form at the

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